Spread across a vast swath of ocean spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the Solomon Islands — an area half the size of the United States — the Coral Triangle has the highest diversity of marine life of any area on Earth.

This “Amazon of the Seas,” as it has been called by the WWF, contains three quarters of the world’s known coral species, a third of the world’s coral reefs, more than 3,000 species of fish, and the world’s richest mangrove forests.

Home to more than 150 million people, the Coral Triangle generates billions of dollars in sea products each year, supporting the livelihood of more than two million fishers. The region is a major spawning ground for tuna, yellowfin and other valuable species that contribute to a perhaps as much as a third of the regional economy.

But all this is at risk from overfishing (including destructive fishing using dynamite and cyanide), coral bleaching and ocean acidification, tourism (including scuba diving), pollution, and sedimentation due to coastal development.

Photo courtesy ARC Centre of Excellence

That is why scientists and policy makers from interested nations are gathered in Australia this week to move forward with the development of urgent action plans to rescue the world’s richest center of marine biodiversity from decline.

The six Coral Triangle countries agreed to the program at a meeting in Manila, Philippines, last month. It is hoped that it will be signed by heads of state at the World Ocean Conference in Indonesia next May.

“Everyone recognises that coral reefs, and the economic and social benefits they generate, are at risk,” CoECRS Director Terry Hughes said. “Fish, corals and climate change don’t respect national boundaries — so the need for region-wide action is paramount.

“This is a critical initiative by many countries, acting together for the first time, to sustain the livelihoods of millions of people,” he said. “In developing countries, millions of local people suffer real hardship when reefs and ocean habitats are degraded. There is a social and economic imperative to protect them.”

According to AIMS Acting Research Director Frank Tirendi, “Better collaboration between Coral Triangle experts and Australian experts may well be a fundamental requirement to ensure the knowledge base is in place to prevent an environmental crisis to our north and ensure longer term regional fisheries and food security.”

Photo courtesy ARC Centre of Excellence

The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) was launched in 2007, following a

proposal by the Indonesian government that the regional governments get

together to protect their marine heritage.

It is a partnership between the six Coral Triangle countries, other governments, aid agencies, donors, WWF, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.

Photo courtesy ARC Centre of Excellence

The CTI has a current global commitment projected to be at least $U.S. 500 million and its plan of action includes:

Developing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management across the Coral Triangle

Food For Thought

Our Latest Expedition

Pristine Seas: Seychelles LaunchesThe National Geographic Pristine Seas team is out exploring the waters of the Seychelles, an archipelago just north of Madagascar, to study and film the incredible abundance and diversity of marine life there. (Photo by Manu San Félix)

Posting Rules

Opinions expressed in blogs are those of the blogger and/or the blogger's organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Bloggers and commenters are required to observe National Geographic's community rules.

NewsWatch Blog

National Geographic Society has discontinued publication of the National Geographic News Watch Blog. Readers who wish to follow the following bloggers may do so on their personal websites, found by clicking on their names below:Karl AmmannNeal LinebackMarcy MendelsonElissa Sursara